Dear Zindagi Movie Review: Brace Life Nil Desperandum

As they say, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”— the proverb couldn’t get a better elucidation than what’s the sheer reflection of the 25th November release Dear Zindagi by [highlight]Gauri Shinde, Red Chillies Entertainment and Dharma Production[/highlight]. Everyone stumbles upon combating complexities at some point or the other in their lives. But if mentored by a chaperone, the sublime safari of survival leads to the supreme salvation of soul. Such is the magnanimity of SRK’s performance in the movie which has undoubtedly done ample justice to the character.

So, if Alia is the heart of Dear Zindagi, then King Khan is definitely its soul. The transition from a ‘lead’ on the silver screen to ‘letting’ Alia grab the limelight and from the ‘star’ stature in Bollywood to her ‘support’ system in Dear Zindagi, Shah Rukh has come a long way in letting his role shine on even from the subtle corner. Here’s a peek-a-boo into this tale of transformation where a young frail girl evolves into a woman of substance in her survival of the fittest.

Star Cast of Dear Zindagi

Alia Bhatt as Kaira aka Koko

Shah Rukh Khan as Dr. Jehangir Khan / Jug

Ira Dubey as Fatty (as called by Koko)

Kunal Kapoor as Raghuvendra

Ali Zafar as Roomy

Angad Bedi as Sid

Aditya Roy Kapur

Dear Zindagi Plot

The plot of Dear Zindagi revolves around Kaira, a young, budding cinematographer who just pretends to be confident but is actually a scared little girl with grudges for her parents due to her childhood ordeal and abandonment issues. Right from her besties played by Ira Dubey and Yashwasini Dayama to her potential romantic angles with Angad Bedi, Kunal Kapoor, and Ali Zafar, Gauri Shinde manages to leave the audiences gripped in the first half of the movie itself making them inquisitive about Kaira’s character and attributes even more.

In the process of dealing with her dilemmas of life, Kaira encounters Jehangir Khan aka ‘Jug’, her DD (Dimag ka Doctor) who helps her gradually gain a whole new perspective to life. Be it, the long walks on the beach while playing kabaddi with the sea waves or the virtuous lectures of finding the right chair after experimenting with others (read ‘chair as *relationships* 😛 ), his gripping sessions for Kaira would be a treat to watch.

Comparison with its brethren!

Another old creation of Gauri Shinde, English Vinglish (2012) possessed a similar genre of movies which dealt with the trauma of Indian women struggling with social stigma. Unlike English Vinglish, which focused more on the older generation, Dear Zindagi (2016) portrays the mindset of today’s youth and teens who are trying to overcome their perplexed mental state and their triumphs to deal with its outcome, depression.

Dear Zindagi provided Shah Rukh a proper platform to bring out the true acteur in him over his star stature. But, sadly, the actor SRK is suppressed by the bling of Shah Rukh, as his star factor is irresistible despite his superb acting. However, in a similar situation we have seen the character of Amitabh Bachhan in Black (2005). He, too, played a role of a mentor/teacher to Rani, but Big B was never seen in the movie. All we could find was Professor Debraj overpowering the super star.

Same was the situation in Pink (2016) too. Amitabh, the actor grabbed all the eyes off Big B, the super star. It was indeed the best opportunity for Shah Rukh to streamline himself as a great actor but sadly he has failed. Still, we’d say, he has given a tough competition to Alia.

TSS Take on Dear Zindagi

Dear Zindagi strives towards contentment by taking inspiration from the little things of life. The direction shows various examples from the daily life where how even small things can be so meaningful and make one happy. Right from the inspirational lessons of life to the happy-go-lucky humor quotient, the dialogues have been delivered delightfully by the leads. Jug (SRK) has wonderfully let Kaira (Alia) master the art of dealing with different relationships with due optimism and tact. Our best pick from the flick, simple yet strong;

Also, the happy and peppy soundtracks of Dear Zindagi with some colloquial and refreshing lyrics make it an icing on the cake. TSS, being a fashion blog, would like to shed some light over Alia’s styling. Dress designer Anaita Shroff Adajania, has done a tremendous job while designing Alia’s outfits in the movie. Though she posseses a girl-next-door look and is given a minimalistic and subtle appeal, the clothes she wears are quite chic and classy.

What we loved the most about the film is that it breaks the social norm which considers ‘depression’ as a kind of havoc. Rather, it has been projected just as other common diseases. Dear Zindagi gives a strong message to the viewers that one should seek comfort from the imperfections of life. And one thing for sure, Alia really nailed it with her exceptional deliverance of varied emotions through her phenomenal acting skills.

TSS ✱ Rating: 4.5/5

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Loved reading your review of Dear Zindagi. Such a beautiful and poignant movie dealing with subjects like childhood trauma, depression and anxiety. I also loved the way Gauri Shinde developed the character of Kaira. So layered and complex! And the kursi analogy, climbing Mt. Everest story and finally the dialogue that you mentioned were so impressive. Seldom we find such a movie that can make a difference to the mindset of people. In this year, we have got two of them. Dear Zindagi and Pink 🙂